Game Day Information
Date: October 4, 1997
Site: Akron, Ohio
Stadium: Rubber Bowl (35,202)
Kickoff: 7:00 ET
Team Records: UA is 0-4, 0-2 in the MAC; Central is 2-3 (1-1 MAC).
Radio: WHLO 640-AM, WTIG 990-AM
TV: No live TV. Highlights replayed Oct. 6 as part of Zips'
Monday Night Football. (WAKC-TV Channel 23, 8 p.m.)
Series: 7-6-1, Akron
It's a seven-game season.
That's the approach UA head coach Lee Owens and his team have adopted. At 0-4 (0-2 MAC), the Zips have battled through arguably as difficult a schedule as any team in the nation to this point.
"I'm not sure how many teams in America have played such a tough schedule," said Owens on Saturday evening, after a 56-0 loss to 13th-ranked (AP) LSU.
Indeed, Akron's overall schedule is ranked by the NCAA as the most difficult in the Mid-American Conference and 44th toughest nationally among 112 Division I-A schools.
The Zips are glad to be home, and playing against a MAC team. The Rubber Bowl has been good to Owens' teams.
"We've always played competitively at The Bowl," said Owens, whose clubs are 5-6 at home, including a 31-28 loss to Bowling Green in the 44th annual Acme-Zip Game Sept. 20.
The Central Michigan Chippewas blitzed the Zips last fall in Mt. Pleasant by a 42-0 score. Silas Massey ran wild, rushing for 206 yards and three TDs. He also tossed a 50-yard scoring strike. Massey, however, is out for the remainder of this season with a knee injury. His replacement, Eric Flowers, has accumulated 584 yards on the ground through five games.
CMU is coming off a disappointing home loss to Eastern Michigan, 31-24. The Chipps, 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the MAC West, need a win to stay close to leader Toledo.
Akron leads the all-time series, 7-6-1.
SERIES: Akron has a 7-6-1 edge in the all-time series, which began in 1969. The two schools have played annually since 1988.
AKRON'S MAC AWARD NOMINEES FOR SEPT. 27: Junior tailback Greg Lomax (Monongahela, Pa.) is the Zips' Offensive Player of the Week. Lomax accumulated 130 all-purpose yards (42 rushing. 49 receiving, 39 kickoff returns).
Redshirt freshman linebacker Derek Wilborn (Waldorf, Md.) is the Zips' Defensive Player of the Week. Wilborn racked up a career-high 11 tackles (6 solo) at LSU.
MEDICAL UPDATE: Redshirt freshman guard Chad Smith (Canton/GlenOak) has missed the BGSU and LSU games due to a shoulder strain.
Sophomore TB Mike Lagasse (Hudson) developed tendonitis in his Achilles' tendon and did not play the final three quarters at Louisiana State. He will be ready to go against Central.
Senior linebacker Pat Powell (Beaver, Pa.) broke a bone in his foot prior to BGSU and has not dressed for the last two games. Powell had just been promoted to #2 middle linebacker behind Nate Boyd.
Junior defensive back Jon Eaton (Wheelersburg) severely sprained his left ankle playing in a 3-on-3 basketball tournament before camp began. A two-year starter and a member of the GTE District IV Academic Team, Eaton ranked fifth on the team in tackles last fall (65 total) and played a key role in UA's secondary being among the nation's top 25 units against the pass. He will take a medical redshirt for 1997.
A persistent shoulder injury continues to keep junior TE Shane Ladner (Pittsburgh, Pa./Keystone Oaks) sidelined.
SMITH CLEARED: True freshman DB-KOR Dwight Smith (Detroit, Mich./Central Catholic) has been cleared to play. Smith was caught up in the NCAA clearinghouse which evaluates high school transcripts and determines academic eligibility for freshmen.
One survey rated Smith the 16th best prep player in the state of Michigan last fall. He possesses sprinter's speed, having won city track titles in the 100 and 200 meters. Owens says he is a 10.4 100-meter man. A year ago, he rushed for over 1,000 yards, intercepted 12 passes and made 111 tackles.
"It's hard to get (Dwight Smith) ready," says Owens. "We're trying to get him ready to play. We just need (his kind of speed) on our defense right now. If we can get him ready, we'd like to give him a little bit of time this week."
SECONDARY SHUFFLE: Trying to get more speed on the field, the Zips are going to shuffle their secondary for the Central game. True freshman Rich Reliford (Bolingbrook, Ill.) will make his first college start at corner. Junior George Germany (Pittsburgh) will move from corner to strong safety.
WILBORN TO OLB: One Zip who shined at LSU was redshirt freshman LB Derek Wilborn (Waldorf, Md.). The #2 inside linebacker, Wilborn is expected to be moved to outside backer. He had a team-high 11 stops at LSU. According to Lee Owens, the shifting might also include moving George Cameron (Alliance) to rush (defensive) end. "We need to get more speed on the field," says Owens.
LOMAX BREAKTHROUGH: Junior tailback Greg Lomax (Monongahela, Pa.) racked up 130 all-purpose running yards at LSU (42 rush, 49 rec, 39 KOR). Lomax ripped off a career-long 54-yard run at Miami earlier and now is the team's leading rusher with 36 carries for 163 yards (4.5 per carry). As a true freshman, Lomax had a 105-yard day at Toledo in 1995.
DEFENSIVE SPEED: "When you try to figure out what's going on with our defense...The best answer we can come with is that we just don't run as well as we did last year. We've taken Nate (Johnson) off the field, Jason (Taylor) off the field and Jonathan (Eaton) off the field, those are three guys who run pretty well and we've replaced them with guys who don't run as well," said Lee Owens. "Another thing is if you've got more speed on the defensive line, then the backs do not have to cover as long."
PRAISE FOR WHITT: Owens continues to have high praise for junior WR Carl Whitt (Warren/Champion). The former walk-on has eight catches to date for 147 yards and one TD; but more importantly, says Owens, is his blocking, play in and play out. He leads the receiving corps in "knockdowns."
AKRON'S NFL PERFORMERS: Former Zip star Jason Taylor has shined as a rookie starter for the Miami Dolphins. A third round draft pick (73rd overall) and a starter in all five preseason games, Taylor has racked up 14 tackles and one QB sack (in two games so far). In the preseason, he had four sacks for 35 yards in losses. Miami is off to a 2-2 start. A first-team All-MAC DE last fall, Taylor had 18 tackles for loss, including 10 sacks.
Victor Green, a Zip letterman from 1990-92, led the NFL in tackles last year as a DB for the New York Jets.
"LUNCH WITH THE COACH" ON MONDAYS: UA's popular "Lunch With The Coach" program takes place on Mondays at noon at the Martin University Center, 105 Fir Hill Street. Zip head coach Lee Owens reviews the previous week's game and previews the upcoming contest. Tickets are priced at $7.25. Joe Dunn serves as emcee.
MAC FORMAT: The Zips are in the East Division of the new Mid-American Conference format. Marshall and Northern Illinois have rejoined the league, bringing to 12 the number of schools in the 51-year-old all-sports conference. At the MAC Media Day on July 23 in Pontiac, Mich., the Zips were picked to finish in fifth place in the East, ahead of rival Kent. Akron won three of its final four games last fall to finish 4-7 and 3-5 in the MAC (t-6th).
The MAC will stage a Championship Game, pitting East and West champs, Dec. 5 in Huntington, W. Va. The winner will advance to face an at-large team in the first Ford Motor City Bowl, Dec. 26, at the Pontiac Silverdome.
NONCON: UA's Oct. 18 date at Eastern Michigan is a non-conference game. The Zips play five games within the East Division (BGSU, Kent, Marshall, Miami and Ohio) and three cross-over games (Ball State, Central Michigan and Toledo). The Eastern Michigan game will not count in the league standings.
RADIO COVERAGE: For the sixth straight year, Akron radio station WHLO 640-AM is the flagship station for University of Akron football. Massillon station WTIG 990-AM has reached agreement for a third season to form the Zips Football Radio Network. WHLO's 5,000-watt daytime signal covers 66 of Ohio's 80 counties in addition to western Pennsylvania and into West Virginia.
In his ninth season as the "Voice of the Zips" is Steve French. He is joined in the broadcast booth by Clint Scroggs, who last year served as UA's sideline reporter. The UA network is on the air 15 minutes before kickoff with the pre-game show, featuring Zip head coach Lee Owens.
AKRON ZIPS' MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: Every Monday night throughout the season, Zip football fans will be able to see UA game highlights on WAKC-TV Channel 23 at 8 o'clock. The one-hour show, hosted by Joe Dunn, will feature head coach Lee Owens evaluating game highlights from the previous Saturday. Coach Owens also will preview the Zips' upcoming opponent. The Central Michigan game will be shown October 6 with the final show Nov. 17 following Toledo.
ZIPPY THE KANGAROO: Zippy, Kasey, Moe and Katy. What do they have in common? They are the only four college kangaroo mascots in America. The University of Akron has Zippy, the University of Missouri-Kansas City has Kasey, Virginia Military Institute has Moe, and Austin College in Sherman, Texas, has Katy. UA's Zippy originated in 1954 with the playing of the first Acme-Zip football game.